“Let’s take a page from other cities and aggressively market for a private partner,” he said, citing large Asian corporations specifically. “At 50,000, as it is, we’re barely in the game. It restricts us.”

Mufi Hannemann, a Hawaii Independent Party candidate for governor, said, “I believe that we need a new stadium, but I question whether we’re going backwards by building a stadium with less seating capacity and doing it in the name of trying to save dollars.”

Hannemann, who was involved with the NFL Pro Bowl, said, “I know that this will definitely restrict the type of events and activities that we can bring to Hawaii, and we’ve worked very hard through the years — many people have — to make the case for the fact that we can be an international sporting arena and host major events, and I think this impacts not just football, but soccer and other sports.”